Please welcome author Tanya Eavenson

Please give a warm welcome to fellow Astrea Press author, Tanya Eavenson.
About the author:Tanya Eavenson and her husband have been involved in ministry for fifteen years teaching youth and adults, and doing counseling. Tanya enjoys spending time with her husband, and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee and reading a good book. Tanya is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and writes for Christ to the World Ministries sharing the Gospel around the world.

 

Blurb for Unconditional:

He will fight for her at any cost...

Elizabeth Roberts can't remember her past, and the present is too painful. She turns to nightclubs and drinking to forget her infant daughter's death, her husband's affair.

When his wife's coma wiped out the memory of their marriage, Chris Roberts found comfort elsewhere. He can't erase his betrayal, but with God's help he’s determined to fight for Elizabeth at any cost.

She wants to forget. He wants to save his marriage. Can they trust God with their future and find a love that’s unconditional?

~~~~

Tanya, I believe Elizabeth agreed to be interviewed? Please will you share it with us? 
Tanya - 1. Elizabeth, tell me the most interesting thing about you.

The most interesting thing about me is that I can’t remember my past. No matter how hard I try.

2. Wow, that must be tough, and frustrating. How do you cope? What kinds of things do you do for fun? 

Chris and I go fishing—when I don’t throw my rod in the lake and cause him to jump in after it. That was a day, I can tell you!

3. I can imagine! And I certainly do want to hear that story some time, but first, tell me, what do you put off doing because you dread it? 

I dread dealing with problems. We all have to deal with things at some point, but I choose to ignore things instead. Maybe that’s the cause of the tension between Chris and me? I awoke from a coma and everything changed, but I’m taking one day at a time. I think it’s all I can do right now.   

4. What do you most fear?

I wish I could say something easy, but my daughter stopped breathing the other day, and it really scared me. Chris wasn’t concerned and that made me doubt myself. What if there is something wrong with her? Maybe I didn’t see what I saw. Maybe he’s right; I’m too worried about things. 

5. I can understand your concern. Parenting newborns can be so frightening! Besides being a parent, what do you want out of life?

To remember my past with my husband. I believe things would be different without my accident. I’d have a happy marriage and a healthy daughter. What’s wrong with wanting that happily-ever-after I’ve read about? But it seems it’s only real in fairy tales.

6. What is the most important thing in your life?

My daughter. I know I shouldn’t put her before God. My head knows this, but my heart disagrees. Where was God when I awoke with no memory of my past life? My husband was a stranger, but somehow I knew Katherine was my daughter. I knew it the moment I held her. 

7. Do you read? If so, what is your favorite type of book to read?

Oh, my! Yes, I love to read! Owning a bookstore I can’t help myself. My favorite book is The Wizard of Oz, or so I’m told. And the classics, more than anything else. 

8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Ttrust God and my husband. I wish I could explain it, but I don’t understand it myself. I feel the need to trust, but it’s that head and heart issue again. 

9. Do you have a pet? If so, what is it, and why that pet?

I’d love to have a pet, but with Katherine, I’ll have to wait until she’s older. It might have to be something small since she’s an infant. Maybe once we figure out what’s going on with Katherine. If there really is anything wrong. 

10. If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?

To the time of my accident. I would have disregarded the doctor and stayed on bed rest and not have gone to the wedding. If I hadn’t fallen from the steps, things would be different now.

Thank you for sharing this enlightening interview with us Tanya. Would you like to share an excerpt from Unconditional with us?

Excerpt from Chapter One:
Elizabeth pushed herself up from the bed. Her gaze swept the dark room and fixed on the hall nightlight. Her hand grazed over her husband’s shoulder when a thought gripped her. Katherine. The baby monitor stood silent. Darkness shrouded the red and green lights that indicated movement.

Her chest tightened. She hurled the covers away and leapt to the floor. Panic made her clumsy as she rushed to her daughter’s room. She lunged over the crib. No sound. No movement. Not even a stirring of air from her tiny nostrils.

“Katherine!” Elizabeth snatched her daughter from the mattress. The infant drew a heavy breath as her eyes flung wide open.

Lord, what’s happening?

Elizabeth’s bare feet pounded the cold tile as she ran back to her husband. “Chris, wake up! Katherine quit breathing again!”

Chris rubbed his eyes and scowled. “What is it?”

“We need to take Katherine to the hospital. She stopped breathing.”

He studied their child. “She seems to be breathing now. Are you sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure.”

“She’s fine.” Chris fell back against the pillow.

“Please—”

“We don’t have the money to take her to the hospital when there’s nothing wrong with her.”

“But there is. She stopped breathing.”

He sat back up. “You’ve been worried about her since before she was born. You’re all worked up because she hasn’t rolled over yet. The doctor said that’s normal for being early.”

She’s called a preemie. She glared into his eyes. “If you were home more often you’d know she’s not fine.”

“I’m home, Elizabeth, and she’s fine.”

Heat flushed her cheeks as tears filled her eyes. “I’m scared. Can’t you see that? I need you to pray for our daughter. I need you to hold me and tell me everything will be all right.”

“Look, she’s sleeping.” His voice softened as his hand ran down her thigh. “Come to bed.”

“How can you care so little? I’m worried about our baby.”

Chris’s hand dropped to the sheets. “Shut the door when you leave.” He turned away from her.

Elizabeth stood for a moment unable to speak. With their baby in her arms, she slowly closed the door behind her and sank her teeth into her lip to keep from crying. If tears came, it would be for her daughter, not for the stranger in her bed.

~~~

My review of Unconditional -- 
There are few authors who burst upon publishing scene with immediate impact, but Tanya Eavenson is one of them. Her debut inspirational novel, Unconditional, published by Astraea Press is hard hitting, deep, intense and in equal measure heart wrenching and heart-warming.

Ms. Eavenson has tackled the subject of infant death. Her heroine's daughter, Katherine has breathing problems and for reasons that become clear in the book, on this occasion when Elizabeth, without the support of her husband Chris, rushes Katherine to hospital there is nothing the doctor can do to save her.

As if that is not tragic enough Ms. Eavenson unfolds Elizabeth’s back-story in way that makes it clear that the doctor in question knows more about Elizabeth’s past than she does. So now Elizabeth finds herself with dilemma upon dilemma to deal with, including the betrayal of her husband.

If that seems complex, then believe me, it is the skill of the author that kept this reader engaged to the last page.

Every member of Ms. Eavenson’s cast has an integral part to play and all face with issues that challenges their faith. They are immediately identifiable with, and real.

Her scene setting is so vivid I almost felt like a fly on Elizabeth’s coat, never mind her walls.

If you enjoy tense, edge of the seat stories, then Unconditional fits the bill.

If you enjoy inspirational romance novels, then take a look at Unconditional.

If you are on the lookout for a new author who writes tight, tense, and inspirational stories then follow her link and add it to your ‘must buy’ list.
(This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review)

Links:

Unconditional~Amazon

Tanyaeavenson.com ~Website

Guided Girls ~Writers blog

@Tan_eave ~Twitter

Please welcome author Ashley Dawn

First off, a special ‘thank you’ to Sherry for having me on your blog today! I really appreciate it.

Why writing and not something else?
I was asked not too long ago by a friend why I bothered writing when I have a full time job and two young children. I was so surprised by the question that I had to take my time in answering. Honestly, when there are so many more things I need to do with my extra time, why write? The answer is simple….I love it. I absolutely love writing stories and using my imagination as an escape from my every day life.

Do you use your kids and the rest of your family in your books?
Absolutely. I love to slide little stories that have happened in real life into my stories, as it just makes the story even more real to me. I hope my writing touches people the way the stories I write touch me. I was told soon after I started trying to get my first book published ‘always be passionate about what you write -- if you aren’t passionate about it, no one else will be either’. I have found that to be true through the whole process of writing and publishing and also just in life in general. So that is what I want to share with everyone reading the blog today, be passionate about what you love and the rest will just fall into place.

Blurb:
Shadows From The Past:

“…It is the price you pay for choosing to be a cop. Your brother’s life…”
Those words haunt her dreams, and her waking moments. LAPD officer, Aurora Kavvan cannot rest until she finds her brothers killer. Digging into the past always brings back unpleasant things: memories, guilt…the hit man. Now she is in a race against time to find the murderer before he finds her.
“Kill her. I don’t care how, and I don’t care where, but I want her dead now!”
Someone was trying to kill his dead partner’s sister. FBI agent, Jordan Reiley will stop at nothing to protect the woman he loves. Even if it means going against her wishes; putting himself between her and the man who murdered her brother.
Will God keep them alive long enough for them to find the truth?

Available from: - http://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Past-Ashley-Dawn/dp/1602472513/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295532429&sr=1-1

Visit me at and click the to buy link:- http://ashleysbookshelf.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html

Thanks for coming by Ashley and best wishes with your book.

Please welcome book-lover Zee

Today my friend and booklover, Zee, is going to talk about her first love and tell us what books work for her and why.  Thankyou so much for joining us today, Zee

Romance for Every Mood

Hello everyone! I am so excited to share my thoughts with you about romance and I can't thank Sherry enough for allowing me to post on her wonderful blog today. If there is anything I love more than romance books, it's romance movies. So I have put the two together to provide you the ultimate book and movie recommendation for your every mood.

In the Mood for... A Romantic Drama?
What girl doesn't like a good dose of drama? If you are looking for lies, secrets and intrigue, then I absolutely recommend The Brat by Sherry Gloag and Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. If you are into historical romance, then you must read The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. The drama is to die for and luckily Something Borrowed is currently being made into a movie which will be released in 2011. I hope Hollywood will do it justice!

In the Mood for... A Fashionable Adventure?
Our closets are like sacred fashion vaults, and if you want to read about what happens to Holly when Audrey Hepburn originals go missing, then Holly Would Dream by Karen Quinn is the way to go. Need more fashionable drama? Pop in "The Devil Wears Prada" for a stylish roller coaster ride.

In the Mood for... A Life Changing Experience?

If you want a book that will inspire you to open your heart and take the biggest risk of your life, then you can't miss Elizabeth Adler's Invitation to Provence. It totally moves me to the core every time I read it! Want to see something similar on the big screen? Go rent "The Holiday" featuring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz.

In the Mood for... Something Sweet?
I have the biggest sweet tooth and Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen Mystery series always satisfies my cravings. All of her titles carry a food theme (for example, The Cream Puff Murder), and there are a handful of delicious recipes provided in every book. Yum. For even more sweets, watch "Because I Said So".

In the Mood to... Find Yourself?
When life hands you a lemon, flip through the pages of The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne. We can all take a few lessons from Melissa Romney-Jones on how to make the best of any situation. Want to watch an equally thrilling movie? You must see "Someone Like You"

Despite what novel you choose, all of these books have three things in common. First, they all feature wonderfully flawed leading ladies. Second, the author explores various types of relationships (for example, familial, romantic and self love). And finally, they are all amazing stories. You will find yourself rooting for the heroine, cheering her on as she overcomes personal challenges, and rejoicing when she finds love. Have you read any of these books? Seen any of these movies? Or have recommendations of your own?

Blog: http://www.fpreviews.com/

Ruth Hartman is today's Guest

Hi Ruth, Welcome to The Heart of Romance.

1. Please will you tell us three things about yourself that might surprise your reader?
1)I’m left-handed, which only about 15 percent of the population happen to be. 2) I love pajamas! I’d live in them if I could. 3) I’ve live-trapped over a dozen wild cats and had them neutered before releasing them again.



2. Who is your favourite author, and why?
I love Debbie Macomber. You always know you’ll get a happy ending with her books. I love that.

3. What is the best, and the funniest response, you’ve had when your readers realise you’ve set your story within the environs of dental hygiene?
“A romance about the tooth fairy? When I read the title, I thought it was a kid’s book.” (It isn’t!)

4. How long does it take you to write a book?
Usually a few months, give or take. Once I get into the story, it doesn’t seem to take very long.

5. What is your favourite food?
Anything chocolate. I inherited a sweet tooth from both parents. I never had a chance!

6. Do you have a special writing space, if not where do you write?
I have a counter in our workroom. My husband and I hang out in that room all the time. Although usually, I have to fight for counter space with a napping cat or two.

7. If you could travel to any place in the world, where would it be, and why?
I’ve always wanted to see Scotland and Ireland. My heritage includes both. I would love to visit there.

8. Who is the biggest influence in your life?
First, God, then my husband Garry. He’s my best friend.

9. Do you have any other books published and where can we find them?
“My Life in Mental Chains”, a memoir, is available at http://supamasu.co.uk/glos.html

10. Please will you tell us a little bit about what are you working on now?
Right now, I’m working on another dental romance about two competing dentists who fall in love. I’m also in the middle of writing and illustrating my first children’s book.

11. Please will you tell us where to find Pillow Talk and your other published stories?
“Pillow Talk” can be found at http://www.classactbooks.com/Pillow-Talk-by-Ruth-J-Hartman-_p_214.html
“Cat-Fish” will be available in March 2011 from Turquoise Morning Press.
“Flossophy of Grace” will be available from Midnight Showcase Fiction in February 2011.

12. Please will you include a blurb and excerpt of Pillow Talk?
What happens when a tooth fairy and a dentist fall in love? Ruth Hartman's latest novel is not your typical romance! It's a sweet, contemporary romance that features a tooth fairy who creates handmade jewelry during the day and moonlights as a tooth fairy at night. After she chips a tooth, she meets a gorgeous dentist at his office. They have the subject of teeth in common, but she's a tooth fairy, and not only can't she tell him, he'd never believe her anyway.

Here is Chapter 1 of Pillow Talk

Don’t wake up. Please don’t wake up.

She held her breath as she cautiously slid her petite hand from under the dark blue pillowcase. The sleeping powder on her gloves usually did the trick, but occasionally she’d come across a kid who was immune and woke up anyway. Silently, she padded across the carpeted floor to the open window. The evening breeze ruffled her short, layered dark hair. Two minutes later her phone purred softly.

“Where are you?”
She looked up at the upstairs window. “Standing outside Timmy Westfellar’s house.”
“Wait. Weren’t you just there last week?”
“What can I say? He’s prolific. The little guy shoots out teeth like bullets.”
Trixie hated when her supervisor called to check up on her. She was great at her job and he knew it. She snapped her phone shut and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was standing in her living room.
“Oops. Sorry guys. Didn’t mean to wake you.” Three cats stretched and jumped off the couch. One of them meowed and yawned at the same time.
She looked down at him. “Oh, you me-yawned. I love when that happens.” She laughed and knelt down to stroke the orange tabby’s chin. “Thanks for the chuckle, Oscar. It’s been a rough night.” Oscar bumped his head against her knee, then raised his upper lip to rub his gums along her outstretched hand. “I missed you too.”
“What about you two? Didn’t you miss me?” She stretched out her other hand and the all-black female sauntered toward her, purring loudly. “That’s better, Miss Lucy.” She ruffled the cat’s fluffy head.
She scooted over to her third cat and stroked his striped face. “And what’s going on with you tonight, Sir?” The older gray tomcat sat and stared at her with huge green eyes as if he knew a delicious secret. “Hmmm. You’ve got that look in your eyes tonight, Cuspid. Just what have you been up to, you little furry instigator, you?” He was the only one of her cats to have a tooth-related name. She wouldn’t have minded giving them all a dental theme, but didn’t want to draw too much attention to that part of her life. It was hard enough hiding her other job from the world. A world that simply didn’t understand people like her even existed.
~ * ~
Her alarm went off the next morning at 6:00 a.m. Her body felt as if she’d only slept fourteen and a half minutes. She had difficulty rousting herself out of her warm comfy bed after a night of stealing teeth. Sneaking up on little kids asleep in their beds was exhausting. There was always the chance she’d get caught. That someone would wake up at exactly the wrong moment and shriek. But, that was just part of being what she was. A tooth fairy.
Not the tooth fairy. Just one of many. It was a popular misconception she’d heard many times of one impossibly tiny fairy, with wings no less, who absconded with every lost tooth of every small child in the entire universe. Please! She was good, but nobody could handle all that pressure. Besides, there was no pay involved with being a TF. It was just an ability you were born with, and you either chose to use the gift you were given or it was taken away from you. She’d heard of lazy fairies who wasted their abilities and were rudely thrust back into simple human oblivion.
After getting ready for work, she climbed into her 1989 yellow and rust (not the color) Jeep. She could, of course, be at work with a blink of her brown eyes, but chose instead to go the old-fashioned route. No sense giving the neighboring business people a collective heart attack
when she suddenly just appeared. Now that would make headlines.
The wind tousled her hair as she fumbled with the keys to her shop. She’d opened Necklaces, Bracelets, and Rings, Oh, My! two years earlier. Her overhead was kept low because she created all of the jewelry herself. She had the uncanny ability to look at an ordinary object and create a one of a kind piece of wearable art. From acorns and buttons to small smooth stones and colorful paper clips, nothing was off-limits for Trixie’s imagination. And most people never even realized the necklaces and bracelets were strung together with waxed dental floss. A girl had to use what was at her disposal, didn’t she?
Finally getting the stubborn lock to cooperate, she shouldered the heavy oak door open the rest of the way. A loud whoosh of wind followed her in and scattered the pamphlets she kept on her counter.
“Good morning! Good morning!” squawked a raspy voice.
Trixie shut the door with a loud whump and made her way to her office in the back of the building. “Morning, Benson. I suppose you’re ready for breakfast.”
The large green parrot hopped around inside his tall silver cage. “Yep! Yep! Hungry! Hungry!” His words were interspersed with squeaks and whistles.
“Give me a second. Gotta put down my stuff.” As she unloaded her denim purse, a mauve briefcase and a toaster-sized cardboard box filled with hopefully usable jewelry items, she crossed her office to a pink plastic tub sitting on the end table.
“Here ya go, Benson.” Trixie briefly opened the birdcage to fill the food dish with stinky bird kibble.
“Thank you much! Thank you much!” He flapped his shimmering wings as he bobbed his fluffy head in approval. His open beak looked like a silly grin.
Trixie laughed. Why did her bird always say everything twice? Did he think that would get his message across quicker? Maybe he should have been named Benson Benson. And technically, he wasn’t even her bird. He came with the building when she bought it. The former owners couldn’t take Benson with them when they moved to another state. It was at that moment that Trixie got a crash course in bird care. All she’d ever had were cats. And for obvious reasons, her pets could never get together for a play-date (although her cats might enjoy it.)
Her shop had become her life. That, her best friend and her animals. Ever since high school, she’d longed for romance, but it had eluded her grasp. She knew that there probably wasn’t a man out there who would understand her nightlife, though. If he was out there, how would she ever find him? She doubted if there was an online chat room for “Tooth Fairies R Us”.
She worked steadily on her jewelry and waited on customers until 11:00 when her business partner came in. Julie hated getting up early even more than Trixie did, so Julie started later and closed up every evening at 7:00.
Trixie looked up from the purple and pink button earrings she was making. “Hey, Jules.”
“Morning, Trix. How’s the feathered one today?”
“Good. Loud as ever. I guess if he’s ever quiet we’ll know something’s wrong, huh?”
Julie smiled “Right.” She set her purse on the counter. “Oh, I brought in a couple of those hamburgers you like from Connie’s.”
“Fries, too?”
“Of course, you silly woman.”
Trixie tried to keep a straight face as she said, “You’ll make someone a very good wife someday.” She couldn’t hold in a snicker.
“Hopefully, if my boyfriend ever gets himself in gear and asks me already. Besides, if you thought that’s all it took to get a man, you would have tried that on some cute guy a long time ago.” She giggled and shook her head as she unloaded their lunch from the bright yellow sack.
“Let me wash my hands and I’m all set.”
“You go out last night?” Julie asked as she put ketchup on her fries.
“Oh yeah,” Trixie answered as she dried off her hands with a cat print hand towel.
“Uh-oh.”
“You got that right.”
Julie waited for the explanation as she munched on a salty fry.
Trixie sighed. “It was Timmy.”
“Again? Good grief. How many teeth does that kid have, anyway?”
“I’m beginning to wonder if he’s human.”
“Maybe he’s an extraterrestrial.”
Trixie tilted her head. “Do they even have teeth?”
“You’d know better than I would, Miss TF.”
“Maybe he’s Sharkboy.”
“Who? Oh, you mean that weird kid in the movie who grows new sets of teeth every month?”
“Yeah. It could happen.”
Julie just stared at her.
“It’s not that much different than those polydactyl kittens that have extra toes.”
“Mitten kittens?”
“Right.”
“But I’ve seen mitten kittens. Have you ever seen an actual sharkboy?”
“Well, no. But would it be stranger than being a tooth fairy?”
Julie shook her head and laughed. “I see your point.”
Trixie picked up a long French fry and took a bite. Her brown eyes grew large. “Oh no,” she said with her mouth full. She put her hand in front of her mouth as she spoke. “That did not just happen!”
Julie’s eyes opened wide. “What? What?”
Trixie took the half-chewed fry out of her mouth and examined the gooey, mulched remains.
“What?” Julie asked again. She put her food down as she stared at Trixie.
“Don’t mean to gross you out, Jules, but look at this.” In her hand, partially embedded in the French fry was a tiny charred fragment of potato.
Julie leaned closer for a better view. She gasped. “Are you okay?”
Trixie didn’t answer right away. After she ran her tongue over her teeth, she once again reached into her mouth…and came out with a large chunk of pointed tooth in her hand. Her eyes grew large. “I don’t believe this.”
“Of all the people this should not have happened to…”
Trixie groaned. “Just great. Wonderful. Well, hand me the phone book, please. It seems I need to find a dentist.”

Thank you, Ruth, for sharing the first chapter of Pillow Talk with us and for joining me here today, and best wishes for your book